


Nightmares

by Nikolaila



Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Nightmares and Their Aftereffects, No beta we scream like fools, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikolaila/pseuds/Nikolaila
Summary: Sometimes the mind’s what if scenarios approach potential reality. Best to make sure you didn’t actually cross that line. No matter how forgiving your subject is.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Comments: 5
Kudos: 87
Collections: UraIchi Week 2020





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love Aches](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23423332) by [Nikolaila](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikolaila/pseuds/Nikolaila). 



> Can we combine daily prompts? If so this is day Four (Post-Canon AU) and day Five (Touch). 
> 
> Same Universe as Love Aches. But it’s not a mandatory read.

It’s a dream. It’s only a dream.  _Was it only a dream?_ Kisuke sat on his futon, heart pounding way too fast and feeling very nauseous as he stared at his clean hands. Hands that didn’t shake only because of  training to do... to do... he’s going to go check on Ichigo. Ichigo won’t laugh about him looking in if he wakes up. Will just know that it was a bad dream and let him look his fill; no mockery or serious efforts to pry the contents of the dream out of him if he does not wish to speak of it.  
  


He slipped fully out of the futon and quietly made his way out of his bedroom and down the hall towards what was once a guest room, but that now seemed to have become Ichigo’s preferred place of sleeping sometime in the past decade. He paused outside the shut door and stared at his hands again for a few seconds; what if he had? No. If he had he would have slept in his lab, probably passed out with his head on the table, surrounded by notes and equipment and there would have been... splatters. It’s fine, it was just a dream, open the door Ichigo is fine. His reiatsu feels like it always does when he sleeps here. Warm and deep with bright electric flickers. He’s not in pain.  ~~_ But he was so  calm when he asked if I had found what I was looking for _ ~~ It can’t hurt to check visually as well, Ichigo  has been sleeping frequently enough here that what he’s sensing might be a reiatsu impression instead of the truth  ~~_ Liar _ ~~ .

  
Kisuke tentatively reached out for the door, paused, then slid it open quietly revealing the room. Ichigo lay on his back and had kicked the blanket off due to the nighttime summer heat. Even from the doorway with only moonlight and streetlights to see by, he could tell that there were no new vivid scars on Ichigo’s chest. 

_But you are good at healing surface damage you’ve inflicted, what if it’s faded? _ He  couldn’t discount that thought. So he slunk closer to better check Ichigo’s health. But even up close there weren’t any markings that would denote the damage he’d seen in his dreams.  ~~_ that he’d inflicted, his hands wet as they gently stroked and cradled his still beating heart while it lay inside his chest_~~

But he’s never been as good at seamlessly healing bone, Ichigo’s sternum and ribs should still have the ridges of healed breaks. If he’d done. If he’d done... that.  ~~_ Cracked them open to watch his heart beat freely, so that he could cradle it in his hands press his lips to it _ ~~ So Kisuke spread his fingers and pressed his still steady hands down on Ichigo’s chest feeling carefully for where he could have  cracked him open and not finding it.  He can’t find them. _He can’t find them. Did he get better at healing bones, oh kami what is he going to do_. He was startled out of his tunnel vision panic when Ichigo wrapped his own hands around Kisuke’s wrists and held them still.

“Bad dream?” Ichigo murmured softly, looking at Kisuke with visible concern on his face.

Which made him realize he was  straddling Ichigo with his palms spread wide across Ichigo’s chest pressing rather hard against his ribs. Of  _ course _ he’d wake up. It’s more surprising that he wasn’t thrown off and across the room to be truthful.

“Yes.” Kisuke said a bit blankly. “Only a dream.” And carefully tried to move his hands away but failed as Ichigo’s grip was gentle but unrelenting.

“Want to talk about it?” 

_  
I led you to my lab, you followed me willingly, and I gave you drugged tea that you drank without a care, and stripped you naked then placed you on my bench so I could peel you open to inspect your insides thinking that way I could finally figure out how you could stand to like me. I peeled your skin and muscle back and inspected your organs and when I couldn’t view or touch your beating heart unobscured, I cracked your rib cage open so I could cradle it in my hands. Except, you weren’t actually asleep at all. You were watching me. You didn’t look angry or disappointed or worried by my violation of your body, of your trust. You looked fond. Like how you look when being unguarded around your sisters. And you asked so gently if I had found what I was looking for. Like my having ripped you open to look and touch your insides instead of being the violation it should have been; was nothing more than a mildly unusual course of action to take but that you didn’t mind that I had done so. I pieced you back together when I was done, and yet you still didn’t seem bothered at all by the fading scars I had left behind. Just pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and whispered in my ear “I’m glad that you could see that I care for you.”_

“No. I’d rather not.” Kisuke said softly, staring more at their hands than Ichigo.

“Mm. Alright. Want to stay here?” Ichigo asked. Curious but not pushing and sleepy sounding.

“I... yes.” Kisuke whispered softly.

At his confirmation, soft as it was, Ichigo gently tugged Kisuke over until he was lying on the futon instead of straddling Ichigo. Then clasped one of his hands around one of Kisuke’s wrists.

“Then sleep well.” Ichigo slurred before dozing off again.

Kisuke carefully reached out and settled his palm gently on Ichigo’s chest over his steadily beating heart.  _ What am I supposed to do? _

**Author's Note:**

> The server enables me...
> 
> I’m still bad at tags, let me know if I need anything added.


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